Sally Palmer is the Communications Coordinator for The University of Texas Marine Science Institute. She received a bachelor of science in marine biology from the University of Rhode Island and earned a masters degree in marine science from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001. Prior to her position handling communications, Sally served as the Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve Manager. She also has research experience with benthic ecology, hypoxia, and ecosystem dynamics. Since 2006, Sally has help secure over $16 million in funding for administration, research and construction of educational facilities.
Greetings!
We hope that you are all healthy and doing well. Click the image below to view The University of Texas Marine Science Institute’s newsletter, 1st Quarter edition of 2020.
Anglers know that oil and gas platforms mean fish, but a recent study investigated which types of platforms and water conditions were best for finding specific types of fish. Derek Bolser, a graduate student at the University of Texas Marine Science...
Our Mission-Aransas Reserve education program strives to enhance public understanding of the value and function of estuaries and to encourage protection of the coastal environment.
We are currently closed and all public-facing programming is cancelled until further notice. During this time,...
Groupers are among the highest valued reef fish, and a reassessment of all the grouper species around the world demonstrated that as much as 26% are threatened. In a recent paper published in Marine Policy, authors, including fisheries professor Dr. Brad...
Every February, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department closes the bays to commercial and recreational crabbing for 10-days each February. This temporary closure enables a coordinated effort by agencies and organizations to remove derelict crab traps. Derelict traps can cause problems as...
Just like humans, baby flounder need nutrients and specifically omega-3 fatty acids to thrive after birth. Fisheries researchers at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute in Port Aransas are working with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department to understand what is...
UT Summer Science is an exciting, inquiry-based learning experience for students entering 3rd through 8th grade.
Working alongside marine scientists from the University of Texas, students will experience science outside of the classroom. By the end of the program, students will...
Recently there has been increasing concerns about microplastics and nurdles on Texas and Gulf of Mexico beaches. There are two categories of microplastics: 1) primary microplastics, which are manufactured as microbeads, capsules, fibers or pellets (nurdles), and 2) secondary microplastics that...
As the saying goes ‘you can never be too rich or too thin’ unless of course, you’re a seagrass blade in Texas. In Texas, the climax species such as Thalassia, or turtle grass, are two times narrower than their relatives in...
The University of Texas Marine Science Institute hosts a FREE public lecture series every winter. This year, lectures are every Thursday in February. They begin at 7:00 p.m. and the doors open at 6:30 p.m..
Pioneer Beach Resort, 120 Gulfwind Drive,...
Shout out to students who love science! Today's Port Aransas Science Fair is a culmination of research and experimentation by 4th and 5th graders from H.G. Olsen Elementary School. Each student designed, executed, and analyzed the results of their own science...
With the wind whipping through her hair, donning polarized sunglasses and a bucket full of probes, research associate, Kelley Savage is the opposite of who you’d imagine when you picture the slimy green, frightening, superhero Swamp Thing. Unlikely as it may...
Deep beneath the waves of northern Gulf of Mexico is an area so dark and devoid of oxygen that few creatures can survive. It’s the Dead Zone and every summer it grows to cover on average of over 5,000 square miles...
This highly selective doctoral studies fellowship is open to recent graduates with a bachelor or master of science degree. The fellowship will support an exceptional student with full tuition, competitive stipend, fringe benefits, and subsidized residential housing for five years. The...
Peering into an image of lots of brightly colored lines that look like a barcode, Dr. Deana Erdner, an associate professor the University of Texas Marine Science Institute, is on the hunt. She’s stalking dinoflagellates of the genus Gambierdiscus, to see...
PORT ARANSAS - Viruses aren’t just in the germy smear a kindergartener can leave on the refrigerator door; they are all around us and infect every living creature. In fact, viruses may play a big role in the amount of methane...
PORT ARANSAS - This summer, biological oceanographer Tracy Villareal cashed in some frequent flyer miles and caught a flight to hop onboard a cruise off the coast of Oahu, Hawaii. The cruise had all the promise of relaxation: calm seas,...
Oil is no stranger to the Gulf of Mexico and recently beachgoers have come face to face with sometimes-sticky oil remnants or tar balls. Oil can be released in gulf waters from naturally occurring seeps, or through accidents associated with man-made...
This week students around the country head back to the classroom. The graduate students at the University of Texas Marine Science Institute are no less immune to the headache of back to school shopping, but instead of erasers and rulers, their...